The 81st annual Oscar nominees were announced early this morning. Were there any shocks? A few. The Dark Knight only got 8 nods. Kind of surprising depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on. I'm still surprised that Heath Ledger got the supporting actor nod. But the biggest shock to me is that Benjamin Button got 13 nominations. Benjamin Button? Really? I saw another movie that was a much better depiction of the nuances of aging, and told a much better story,in my opinion, it was called Synecdoche, New York. It, however, was not nominated for A N Y T H I N G. I am really pleased that both Man on Wire and Encounters at the End of the World were both nominated; Both are spectacular. I've to catch up a little in the next 31 days. I've only seen 2 of the movies in the best picture category!

P.S. I wasn't at all surprised at the wrestler not being nominated for best picture.